What kinds of mysteries are being written most?

[Feliks, Moderator]

..these days? Around the world, that is.

Procedurals?
Scandinavian-set?
Neo-noir?
Thriller-mysteries?
Industry exposes?
Cozy?
Erotic?
Suspense?
Romantic suspense?
Amateur leads?
Standalones vs series?

Not talking about 'narrative structure' here, more like 'trend'

What's going on in the mystery field lately, is what I'm asking.

[LindaH]

Do you mean, what kinds are being written most, or read most? Seems like editors and agents would have the answer to the former, whereas marketing and sales departments have answers to the second. And aren't the sales numbers influencing mystery writers to come up with more of the same?

I want to know what's new in the mystery genre. I count on the writers. I wish I knew who's doing the cutting edge stuff. And finding audiences. And where.

[Feliks, Moderator]

'What kinds are being written most', interests me this week. thanks

[Amber]

Cozy does seem to be the trend.
Spunky female in interesting job (possibly craft or cooking related) discovers a body, gets involved with both the investigation and an attractive single male cop. 70,000 to 80,000 words. Dead body by chapter three or sooner.
I've enjoyed reading a few of these actually, but I could not make a steady diet of them.
Some of my fellow mystery writers have joked that the rules are getting so tight, the expectations so specific, that pretty soon all cozies will be required to have recipes in the back.

[Miss M]

I'd definitely agree cozies are on the uptick.
Also, psychological thrillers with female protagonists.
Also noticed a trend for WWII or immediate post-war procedurals set in the 'rubble' of the aftermath...and a mini-trend in 'what was going on in Ireland' during the war.

In Germany, I've noticed a lot more 20th century historicals, some focused on WW I...Berlin between the wars...and then WWII/post war - that entire time span is popular now.

The good-guy cop (male and female) with debilitating personal issues seems to be eternal...

[Amber]

The WWII Irish mini-trend sounds like a change of pace form what I've been reading. What's one of the books?

[Miss M]

Amber,
Some I've enjoyed:

Ratlines Stuart Neville
Echoland Joe Joyce
Echobeat
The Lost and the Blind: A Contemporary Thriller Set in Rural Ireland Declan Burke
The City of Shadows Michael Russell
The City of Strangers

Also, if you're interested in Ireland, I'd very highly recommend Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy 'Troubles' series, set during the 80's.
The Cold Cold Ground

[Miss M]

Cphe,
Definitely - he's on my list to watch out for! :)

[Miss M]

Cphe wrote: "Miss M wrote: "Cphe,
Definitely - he's on my list to watch out for! :)"


Actually, make that anything you come across....give as a "Cooee""

Will do - haven't come up with much new lately...

[LindaH]

I'm guessing Noir is on the upswing. It's interesting that Joyce Carol Oates, mistress of dark, has a book on PW's mystery announcements page. And Michael Connelly's new mystery

[LindaH]

Connelly's new mystery sounds dark indeed. I don't read these authors, I'm just bouncing off the publisher's descriptions.

[Shomeret]

I belong to a F2F mystery group that used to meet in a bookstore. We were frustrated that most of the new releases were either noir or cozies and there were few of the traditional police procedurals that most of the group preferred. Noir and cozy are opposite ends of the spectrum. So I guess most writers are catering to the extremes.

[Miss M]

Another 'trend', though been around a while now, is long-time series authors writing a new series with a teen protagonist: Kathy Reichs, Elizabeth George, Jane Casey, Harlan Coben...guess everyone wants in on the YA boom. (Not that I blame them, but haven't read any so I don't know how they're doing outside their original specialty, though.)

[LindaH]

Maybe there is a sub-sub-genre: procedural cold case? I've been seeing some retired cops taking on retired crime files, most notably the Dept Q series by the Danish writer, Jussi Adler-Olsen. Also, I can't remember the title but a new mystery features a retired detective who is still obsessed with an unsolved crime. And Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes is about a crime that comes back to haunt a cop, I think. Feels sort of trending, to me.